Dedicated to the Conservation of
Virginians Wildlife and Related Natural Resources
and to the Betterment of
Outdoor Recreation in Virginia
Published by VIRGINIA COMMISSION OF GAME AND INLAND FISHERIES, Richmond, Virginia 23213
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
ALBERTIS S. HARRISON, JR., Coveraor
Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries
COMMISSIONERS
T. D. Watkins, Chairman Midlothian
J. C. Aaron Martinsville
H. G. Bauserman, Sr Arlington
A. Ree Ellis . . . • Waynesboro
R. R. Guest King George
R, G. GUNTER Abingdon
J. C. Johnson Newport News
Dr. E. C. Nettles Wakefield
I. T. Walke, Jr Norfolk
HoLMAN Willis, Jr Roanoke
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
Chester F. Phelps, Executive Director
Richard H. Cross, Jr. . . . Chief, Game Division
Robert G. Martin Chief, Fish Division
Lillian B. Layne .... Chief, Fiscal Division
James F. McInteer, Jr. . Chief, Education Division
John H. McLaughlin . Chief, Law Enforcement Div.
PUBLICATION OFFICE: Commission of Game and
Inland Fisheries, 7 N. Second St., Richmond, Virginia
James F. McInteer, Jr Editor
Ann E. Pilcher Editorial Assistant
Leon G. Kesteloo Photographer
Harry L. Gillam Circulation
JANUARY
Volume XXV/Number 1
IN THIS ISSUE PAGE
Editorial : Talking Turkey Again 3
Successful Upland Game Project Will Be Continued 4
Almost Everybody Was Happy ! 6
The Controversial Mr. Beaver 8
Is Your Future In The Wildlife Field? 10
You've Never Caught A Bream ! 11
Conservationgram 13
Newr Record Whitetail Tops Trophy Contest 14
The Mail Order Gun Bill 17
What Do The Crows Say? 20
Bird of the Month : The Brown Pelican 21
Youth Afield 23
The Drumming Log 24
On The Waterfront 25
Letters 26
Back Cover: Springtime Gobblers 28
COVER: A hardy fish for hardy fishermen, the wall-
eye is most active when the water is cold and provides
a better excuse to keep angling gear handy in mid-win-
ter than most fresh water species. It prefers deep, cold
waters over gravel or rock bottom. Our artist, Duane
Raver, has shown a walleye in pursuit of some young
redhorse suckers.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year, $1.50; three years,
$3.50. Give check or money order, made payable to
the Treasurer of Virginia, to local game commission
employee or send to Commission of Game and Inland
Fisheries, P. O. Box 1642, Richmond, Virginia 23213.
Virginia Wildlife is published monthly at Richmond, Virginia, by the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, 7 North Second Street.
All magazine subscriptions, change of address notices, and inquiries should be sent to Box 1642, Richmond, Va. 23213. The editorial
office gratefully receives for publication news items, articles, photographs, and sketches of good quality which deal with Virginia's soils,
water, forests, and wildlife. The Commission assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts and illustrative material. Credit is
given on material published. Permission to reprint text material is granted provided credit is given the Virginia Commission of Game and
Inland Fisheries and Virginia Wildlife. Clearances must be made with photographers or artists to reproduce illustrations.
Second-class postage paid at Richmond,, Va.
EDITORIAL
Talking Turkey Again
NOW that the facts are known it can be stated categorically that
experiments with a "gobblers only" spring turkey hunt in Virginia
have paid off handsomely.
First tried out only on a few designated wildlife management areas,
then in four counties, and last year in 43 counties, spring gobbler
hunting has provided thousands of additional hunter days of the
highest quality outdoor recreation without the least adverse effect
upon the following season's population of young birds (which un-
fortunately is a lot more than can be said for fall turkey hunting in
most areas) . Wherever hunting pressure has been responsible for
a reduced turkey population the following year, it has been the
indiscriminate shooting of both sexes in the fall that has done the
damage.
The advantages of continuing this special spring hunt, and ex-
panding it to other counties where it has not yet been permitted, are
obvious. It is a long time from mid-winter to the next fall. An early
morning trek into the green forest in late April or early May is a
refreshing outdoor experience, the likes of which will be encountered
at no other time or place. A short hunting period at this particular
time greatly enhances the recreational value of our wildlife resource,
by spreading its use a little more uniformly among the several sea-
sons. What seems almost too good to be true is that spring gobbler
hunting puts no additional strain on wild turkey populations. The
proposition that such hunting costs virtually nothing in terms of
future turkey populations sounds so good that a few people still find
it hard to believe. Human experience just doesn't condition people
to expect to get so much for so little.
This is why even biologists who have studied the wild turkey ex-
tensively in Virginia moved cautiously and slowly in recommending
spring gobbler hunting in the first place. Several years ago they
thought they could see that a lot of the finest turkeys in our woods,
along with all the hunting opportunities those birds represented, were
going to waste. They thought there was a way to harvest excess male
birds, after the peak of the spring mating season, without affecting
the success of the oncoming nesting season at all. Other states did it.
Could Virginia, too, harvest a bonus crop of turkeys in the spring,
without paying a cost in fewer or smaller broods raised during the
summer? It took years of gradually expanding experimental spring
shooting, with thorough observation, analysis and evaluation of re-
sults, before they were convinced. Now they are sure!
Last spring nearly 1600 hunters put in almost 4000 man-days of
gobbler hunting during the week-long spring season in 43 counties.
They bagged 280 fine, adult, bearded birds. Those interviewed, orally
and by questionnaire, reported after the season that they had located
ten times as many gobblers (3.68 per day) as hens (.34 per day).
The hunt had been scheduled, as planned, at the end of the gobbling
season when the hens were no longer associating regularly with the
still strutting and gobbling males. The notion that spring gobbler
hunting, properly conducted, interferes with nesting success simply
is not borne out by the facts.
The value of spring gobbler hunting as sport and recreation of
the highest quality has been proved beyond doubt. Its cost, in terms
of detriment to wild turkey populations, is nil. To those hunters who
remain skeptical we say, try it! To people who doubt the wisdom of
extending it to still other counties, we say the same: give it a fair
trial! You will see!— J.F.Mc.
HAVE just read your article on "Wrong
Side of the Road" in the November issue of
Virginia Wildlife and want to congratulate
you on the splendid article. I sincerely be-
lieve that you have a purpose in life con-
nected with God, which is wonderful, and I
will always hope that we amateurs — hunters
— will keep the thoughts that you have ex-
pressed in mind.
William J. Grant
Richmond
Stream Fisherman Speaks
MY 16 year old son and I have had consider-
able success fishing for smallmouth bass in the
Shenandoah's Goose Creek and the Rappa-
hannock. Since the river banks are privately
owned, we were forced to enter at highway
crossings and wade. This turned out to be a
boon. We catch more fish, most of which
we release, than we ever did bank fishing.
Still we think it would be a good idea to
have more access points to non-landowners.
One way to do this would be to require
landowners along the streams such as the
Shenandoah between Route 7 and Route 50
(for example) to provide access points at
reasonable intervals, for a modest charge of
course. The reasoning is that the public (the
State) which owns the stream is denied the
use of the stream (for fishing) because of
private property. I don't know what legal
action would be needed, but societies usually
can find ways of doing agreed upon things.
You lay great stress upon the opportunity to
obtain hunting and fishing permission from
private landowners, but it isn't as simple or
easy as you imply unless you have lived 40
or 50 years in the same community. The name
you see painted on a shingle on the property
may be that of an owTier who lives 200 miles
away.
Could you tell me what white fungus ( silky
filaments) was attacking the smallmouth
and the creek chub (suckers) in the North
Fork Shenandoah near Woodstock and near
Strasburg in May? There were patches the
size of a sUver dollar, sometimes over the
eyes and head.
We enjoy each issue of Virginia Wildlife,
especially the fishing stories by subscribers.
We have so many favorite fishing spots it
would be hard to choose the one. This year
I have bought and used fishing licenses in
Montana (Gallatin River), Colorado (Cache
La Powdre River), New York (lakes around
Watkins Glen), but topping them all in my
book is the Rappahannock between Reming-
ton and Fredericksburg.
Warren R. Bailey
Falls Church
A fungus, Saprolegnia, attacks fish which
have been injured or weakened after a hard
icinter. Sometimes this fungus infection is
associated with the bacterial Columnaris dis-
ease.— Ed.
(Continued on page 26)
SUCCESSFUL UPLAND GAME
PROJECT WILL BE CONTINUED
By C. H. SHAFFER, Supervising Game Biologist
and JIM McINTEER, Chief, Education Division
UPLAND game management as it is practiced in Vir-
ginia today was unknown in the state fifteen years
ago when an infant project was born that was to grow,
and change (as heahhy youngsters are supposed to do),
until it developed into a robust and vigorous teen-ager
whose size and features could not have been anticipated in
1948, even by the proud parents who presided over its birth.
Both the management of public hunting areas in Virginia,
and the Commission's current farm game program, have
grown out of the highly productive Pittman-Robertson Proj-
ect (28-D) initiated a decade and a half ago. At that time
public hunting lands (except National and State Forests)
were almost non-existent. Money, trained personnel and
special planting materials were inadequate to support a
management program on the present day scale.
The original purpose of the project, to increase the supply
of farm game in Virginia, generated two specific require-
ments: applying the best known game management methods
to farm game habitat throughout the state; and developing
even more effective management tools and techniques at an
accelerated pace.
Improved farm game management techniques have been
developed and tested. They are expensive if applied inten-
sively over a large area through the use of hired labor and
equipment. But they are effective; and when they can be
applied in conjunction with normal farming operations,
utilizing machinery already available on the land and per-
sonnel who are willing to do the work as a "labor of love,"
the cost is not prohibitive.
Any owner of farm game habitat in Virginia now can
be shown how he can improve that habitat so as to virtually
guarantee the annual production of a harvestable surplus
of small game, and he can be supplied with specifically de-
veloped planting materials — annual game bird seed mixture,
and perennial shrub seed — which he will require.
As for the other phase of the project — -application of
these improved techniques — a good start has been made.
Further progress on privately owned land is now a matter
of education, demonstration, encouragement of local initiative
and continued assistance in obtaining special planting ma-
terials. On publicly owned lands that are suitable for
production of farm-type game crops, further progress can
be made just as rapidly as available financial and personnel
resources permit. Through the work already accomplished a
sustained yield of small game from areas open to free public
hunting {regarded as an impractical undertaking only a
few years ago) has become a reality.
Early Operations
When PR 28-D was initiated it was obvious that a sig-
nificant increase in farm wildlife populations could be
achieved only through habitat improvement on a vast scale.
More complete report on this project has been published in booklet form
and is available free from the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries.
To attempt to apply intensive wildlife management practices
on even a major portion of Virginia's 150,000 farms would
have been an undertaking far beyond the Commission's
means. It was decided, instead, to direct efforts toward farm
game demonstrations, and education of the public in basic
farm game management techniques. It was assumed that
excellent planting demonstrations and abundant wildlife
populations on certain selected farms naturally would en-
courage neighboring landowners to carry out similar work.
The first acquisitions for the project were two jeeps with
two sets of farming equipment (plows, discs, tillers and
trailers) . There were at that time two biologists and two
sets of equipment for 68 counties east of the Blue Ridge.
Rain and wet grounds during the first planting season
limited the use of the equipment to a mere seven days. Re-
sults were not encouraging. New approaches to the problem
were sought.
Additional technically trained personnel were hired, and
game biologist districts were established. To reinforce their
own efforts, biologists undertook to obtain all the available
assistance from individuals and agencies that might encour-
age Virginia's landowners to practice farm game manage-
ment. One of the first agencies which offered assistance was
the Soil Conservation Service. Formal cooperative agree-
ments between the various Soil Conservation Districts and
the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries
were worked out. These cooperative agreements have had
The original purpose was lo increase fhe supply of farm game in
Virginia.
Commission photo by Kesteloo
VPI Wildlife Research Unit photo by Mosby
Quail in bicolor lespedeza. A good wildlife plan'fing in the right
place almost guarantees a covey in the tall.
many far-reaching, long-term effects on land use and wild-
life populations which stand high among the important per-
manent accomplishments of the project.
The Virginia Extension Service and local county agents
have assisted materially in achieving the objectives of the
project.
Many vocational agriculture instructors and their or-
ganized classes (F.F.A., 4-H Clubs and veterans' farm train-
ing groups) have cooperated, and thousands of outstanding
management demonstrations have resulted from their efforts.
Local sportsmen's clubs and civic organizations have
played an important role in farm game habitat improvement
programs by providing incentive to farm youth. Often these
efforts were directed toward planting contests, with spon-
soring organizations supplying prizes for the most deserving
wildlife developments.
The Game Commission's Law Enforcement Division per-
sonnel have been most active in the entire farm game pro-
gram since its inception. In most of Virginia's counties game
wardens have made the local contacts, delivered planting
materials, and helped in evaluation and follow-up operations.
Nurseries Established
When it was decided to provide shrub lespedeza plants to
cooperators without charge it became essential to have a
reliable source of large quantities of these shrubs for dis-
tribution. Some plants could be purchased from the Soil
Conservation Service. Arrangements were made with the
Beaumont Training School for the production of some of the
planting stock. Soon, however, permanent plant production
nurseries were established on the Cumberland Forest. Rais-
ing, digging, counting, bundling, delivering and heeling-in
millions of plants annually became an enormous task as the
scope of the project broadened. Setting out millions of shrubs
along woods borders was also a big job for cooperating
farmers and sportsmen. It was often noted that when spring-
time rolled around, and other farming operations were at
their busy seasons, much of the enthusiasm for wildlife
borders rapidly waned.
Meanwhile, biologists had been experimenting with shrub
lespedeza seed. It was reasoned that since farmers made their
living by planting crops and were skilled in handling seed,
they would prefer lespedeza seed over plants and would
thus do a better job. The plants cost between $5 and $10 per
thousand, whereas a pound of seed, which would plant a
similar sized area, could be purchased or produced for
approximately $1. If the farmer did not get the opportunity
to plant one year the seed would still be available, whereas
plants would not.
One of the most significant discoveries uncovered by
project personnel resulted in the development of a satis-
factory direct seeding technique for shrub lespedeza. This
technique completely revolutionized the farm game program
at a great saving of labor and money. It also made the task
of creating a wildlife border easier for the cooperator. There-
after, the demand for plants diminished rapidly until the
spring of 1955 when the last bicolor lespedeza plants were
grown and distributed. During the peak years of 1951 and
1952 approximately four million plants were delivered to
farmers throughout the State.
Through the early years of the project, biologists worked
closely with research personnel from the Soil Conservation
Service's Sandy Levels Nursery in Pittsylvania County.
Plants which appeared to have possibilities for wildlife were
often obtained and planted in larger experimental observa-
tion blocks on the Cumberland Forest, Hawfield and other
management areas. If wildlife utilization indicated an out-
standingly preferred plant, then seed production nurseries
were established to obtain a large source of seed for future
distribution. In this manner early seeding varieties of shrub
lespedeza were developed, and later grown in such quan-
tities as to justify distribution. Common varieties were found
to be unreliable seed sources in many sections of Virginia
due to early frosts in the fall. Through painstaking selections,
early seeding strains were developed and made available
for seed production blocks.
Nine acres of early-seeding lespedeza (VA-70, VA-72 and
cyrtobotrva) production blocks were developed on the Cum-
berland Forest in 1954 and have been combined every year
since. The usual annual production of between 1200 and
1500 pounds has been allocated without charge to Virginia
farm game cooperators. This seed is not available through
the usual commercial sources and is thus invaluable to Vir-
ginia's current farm game program.
In similar operations 10 acres of Arlington sericea (a
superior variety) has been combined every year and allo-
cated to Virginia's landowners. In an average year, approxi-
mately 4,500 pounds of seed have been produced.
(Continued on page 17)
Such excellent plant-
ings as this produce
an abundance of
wildlife and encour-
age similar work on
neighboring lands.
Commission photo
by Kesteloo
JANUARY, 1964
IF Leon Kesteloo, Commission photographer, could have
taken a picture of the whole west of the Blue Ridge
on "D" Day (opening day of the 1963 deer hunting
season), he would have developed a prize winning "water-
melon grin" on his film. A camera can only catch the
surface it views, not elated inner emotions, and even words
lack expression to convey deep feelings. If a true reflection
of "D" Day could have been photographed, you would be
able to view:
• Veteran hunters jubilant over seeing so many deer.
• Novice hunters in their teens, shy but proudly wrapped
in smiles over their trophy. It did not matter if their prize
was a button buck or a female yearling; they had by skill
outsmarted a whitetail.
• Biologists pleased and happy that deer management
theories, based on research and study, are "panning out"
in Virginia.
• Checking station store owners congratulating the victors
who gathered around buying cold drinks and sandwiches.
The hunters constantly repeated tales of their successful
hunts while waiting around to see if a joshing acquaintance
would bring in a larger buck.
ALMOST
EVERYBODY
WAS
HAPPY!
By DOROTHY E. ALLEN
Education Officer
Commission photo by Kesteloo
The author checks a 95 pound, four-point buck brought in by 15-year-
old John C. Brown of Alexandria.
What about the deer? After prying open the stubborn,
death-closed mouth of the first OdocoUeus virginianus, we
noted that even the deer seemed to reveal their teeth in a
somewhat smiling manner. The first 20 or 30 carcasses did ;
after that it appeared to be more of a sneering, "You've
got to do the work in the end," as the sharp molars of a
yearling brought blood to the index finger and the vise
grip of a closed-mouth buck caused the pry to slip and
smash a thumb.
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
Commission photo by Kesteloo
Warden Dave Ramsey weighs in a nice buck downed by i'lih research
biologist- Eugene W. Surber.
Perhaps a few not-too-happy photographs could have been
developed. There were the old stories:
"A nice big buck got away so I took this doe."
"Heard plenty of shooting, but saw no deer."
"It was too hot to sit still. This kind of weather you got
to go "injuning" deer. (True, 70 degrees is really too warm
for a good brisk hunt. Deer hunting is a test of patience —
and patience is almost impossible without comfort. The
hunter was stalking his way back to camp to shed his in-
sulated underwear.)
A farmer who had complained because deer had eaten
his corn crop in the summer now complained because he
couldn't go out on his back stoop and shoot one. He re-
marked that many more fawns were seen this year than in
the past. (Twin fawns from healthy adults is the rule. The
better nourished the does, the more fawns they produce,
and the better chances the fawns have for survival after
birth. Fawns from underfed does stand a poor chance of
surviving their first week of life.)
Checkers at the Mt. Falls station had not a moment's rest.
There seemed to be more hunters this year than last. Cars
bearing carcasses of deer lined the drive. It looked as if
one deer was coming in under its own power, until a proud
lad crawled out of the the camouflaged Volkswagon.
One large station wagon driver with a "Dan'l Boone" air
asked if he could get his game checked. After a thorough
search a rabbit and a fawn were found. It became a
debatable issue among the four city hunters which whitetail
should be weighed, and which fried.
Hunters usually ask, "How old is my deer?" — either to
satisfy their curiosity or to settle an argument over who shot
the oldest whitetail. A game biologist has more than a
curious interest in deer ages. Data gained at checking sta-
tions is invaluable in keeping track of the size and quality
of the deer herds, and is even useful in making cautious
predictions about next year's crop. For instance, if there are
more big, well developed, healthy does this fall than last,
there is a probability that next spring's fawn crop will be
materially larger than the current one. If fawns (both male
and female) taken this fall are in better condition and show
better development than last year's fawns, it is probable
that the range is not overcrowded and is actually improving
— that enough animals are being removed annually to insure
a high quality herd — and that hunting restrictions could
even be tightened a little, and the size of the herd built up
without sacrificing quality. But if yearlings show up with
weights and antler development that make them look more
like fawns, and if real fawns are scarce and scrawny, it is
likely that the deer have become too numerous and that a re-
duction in the size of the herd, by increasing the harvest
of antlerless animals, may be in order. These are the kinds
of facts and indications the biologists look for at the check-
ing stations, and the kind of data they sift, analyze, weigh
and compile for the Commission to use in its deliberations
when the time comes to formulate next season's hunting regu-
lations. To compare this year's with last year's animals, how-
ever, or to compare the size and development of either with
a norm, it is necessary first to break the checked deer down
by sex and age group. Obviously, the average weights and
measurements of a mixed bag of fawns, yearlings and older
adults would be useless data.
The best way to age deer is by checking the condition
of their teeth — "Severinghaus technique" — based on re-
placement and wear. There are 10 teeth on each side of the
deer jaw: four incisors, three pre-molars, and three molars.
The pre-molars are replaced at 18 months of age; the molars
are permanent teeth. The third deciduous ("baby tooth")
pre-molar has three points and is replaced by a two-pointer
pre-molar. Beyond the age of 11/^ years, abrasion or wear
of the permanent teeth is the age indicator.
A hunter is pretty optimistic about the weight of his
deer. He is inclined to think the deer carcass gains weight
at the rate of about 15 pounds for every quarter mile he
carries or drags it. As a rule he overestimates its weight
by about 25 to 30 per cent.
Deer managers are concerned with weight as an index to
deer nutrition. Where average weights are good, each deer
is getting a reasonably adequate diet. Where weights are
low. they are not. Checkers generally were happy to note
that deer were much fatter this year than last, and appeared
extremely healthy. At one station in Shenandoah County the
average weight on a sampling of 36 yearlings last year
averaged 89 pounds. This year at the same station a sampling
of 36 yearlings averaged out around 107 pounds.
(Continued on page 16)
Game biologists' interest in deer ages stems from more than idle curiosity. Accurate aging is accomplished at checking stations by careful examina-
tion of animals' teeth.
Commission photo by Harrison Commission photo by Kesteloo
*mm^/s
mo
mo^
y^.
Commission photo by Kesteloo
By C. P. GILCHRIST
Wetlands Investigations
AMONG the wild animals of Virginia that can stir up a
controversy between men without half trying, the
beaver stands high. Most people who are familiar with
the beaver either are all for him, or have not a kind word
to say in his behalf.
Complaints against this four legged woodland engineer are
many and varied. He is said to cause flooding of valuable
lowlands. He is accused of cutting down or otherwise
killing all the good timber in the area in which he sets up
housekeeping with his mate, and of destroying corn in
adjacent fields. He is condemned for using highway fills as
dams, and persistently stopping up the culverts under them
as fast as highway maintenance crews clean them out. He
is declared a general nuisance.
These accusations in some cases are all too true, but a
good courtroom lawyer arguing in the beaver's defense
could introduce a good deal of evidence in mitigation of his
client's crimes. In most cases the lowlands that are flooded
Right: Beaver dams store water, and often provide good tishing holes.
Below: Beavers cut hardwood timber, but most of what they cut has
little value.
are covered with stands of alder, maple and gum that would
never produce much of a crop of marketable timber. While
crop damage is serious where it does occur, few beaver
ever choose home sites close enough to agricultural land
to put themselves in the way of temptation to indulge in this
sort of depredation. Probably the beaver's most serious of-
fense against his human neighbors, the one which has to be
admitted even by his defenders, is his plugging of pond
spillways and highway culverts. He just cannot resist the
temptation to fix what looks to him like a leak in a dam!
People who discount the beaver's nuisance effect, and who
are inclined to accentuate the good that comes from his
woodland waterworks, can point to many benefits associated
with beaver ponds. They act as small water reservoirs which
conserve ground water, reduce flood damage, and retard soil
erosion. They act as feeding and resting areas for waterfowl,
and make good hunting areas. Deer and other animals use
the ponds as water holes during times of drought. Beaver
ponds often become good fishing holes, especially for pick-
erel. They are a source of a money crop of fur for landown-
ers, who often trap a few of the beaver each year, and an
even larger number of other fur bearers such as muskrat,
mink and otter which utilize the habitat created by beaver
ponds. And if beaver ponds tend to do a little damage
to standing timber sometimes, they usually more than offset
this loss by the contribution they make to the control of for-
est fires. During the severe fire season in Virginia last year,
the control of a number of potentially serious fires hinged
upon the use of beaver ponds on which to tie down fire lines.
But whether one be pro-beaver or anti-beaver, there is
no disputing the fact that the unusual habits and behavior
of the remarkable Mr. Beaver make him a fascinating citizen
of our animal community.
The American beaver belongs to the order Rodentia and
the family Castoridae, which contains one genus. Castor, and
species, canadensis. There are at least 13 recognized sub-
species.
This large rodent looks very much like a huge muskrat,
except that its naked, scaly tail is broad and flattened. The
sexes are practically indistinguishable except when the fe-
male is nursing young. The adults have a body length of
25-30 inches and a tail length of 9-10 inches, and vary in
weight from 30 to 60 pounds. There are records of beaver
weighing in excess of 100 pounds. The color is generally
a deep, dark chestnut on the back, and paler and grayer
below.
Commission photo by Kesteloo
The beaver is monogamous, and mates for life. The num-
ber of young per litter is from two to six, averaging about
four. The "kits" remain with their parents for at least a
year, and possibly until they are ready to mate near the
end of their second year. At this time they are usually forced
by the parents to leave the home den and set up house-
keeping for themselves.
The beaver's diet consists of bark, water-lily and other
roots, mushrooms, and berries. The principal item is bark
or, to be more exact, the green cambium layer or inner
bark that lies between the outer bark of a tree and the wood.
His favorite food trees are poplar, aspen, willow, and birch.
He readily eats the bark and twigs of most hardwoods. As
a rule the beaver does not eat any part of the coniferous
trees. He will, however, cut down pine trees to use in dam
construction.
As the beaver is a semi-aquatic animal, it is necessary for
him to have water near his food supply. Where rivers and
streams are of suitable depth and food is near enough, the
beaver does not build dams but lives in bank dens along
the streams.
Where there is not enough water near his food supply
to suit Mr. Beaver, this brings out his talents as an engineer.
Small streams are dammed to flood lowlands. This serves
two purposes. First, it gives the beaver protection from his
enemies, as he is able to build his lodge in deep water far
from shore. Secondly, it provides easy access to available
food supplies and an underwater storage area for food dur-
ing the winter. Limbs and twigs are gathered during the
fall and stored underwater adjacent to the lodge for use
when ice is on the pond.
When Mr. Beaver begins damming and flooding bottom
lands, and killing and cutting trees, the difference of opinion
begins to arise as to the good and evils of his work.
In cases where beaver damage outweighs the good the
animals do, it is best that the beaver be removed. Usually
the best method of removal is by trapping. As the beaver
pelt is a valuable fur, it is uneconomical and wasteful to
remove the animals even from an area where they are caus-
ing trouble when the pelts are not prime. Still, nearly every
year, someone who made no effort to trap beaver during
the winter months applies for a permit to remove a colony
after the pelts have become worthless. Unless the damage is
so severe that the landowner cannot wait, removal of
nuisance animals should be accomplished only during the
general trapping season (mid-December until March) when
the pelts are prime and will bring top prices. Beaver pelts
have been bringing the trapper from three to fifteen dollars
Commission photo by Kesteloo
Commission photo by Kesteloo
Even nuisance beaver should be trapped only when the fur is prime.
Hides have been bringing from three to fifteen dollars.
apiece, depending on the size and quality, for the past
several years.
In addition to the trapping of nuisance beaver, the trap-
ping of other beaver is a profitable part- or full-time winter
job for the landowner, his children, or the professional trap-
per. The trapper who traps for profit must be careful not
to overtrap a pond. Over-trapping is very easy to do. The
average undisturbed old beaver family is made up of two
parents, four young that are tA\o years old, and four young
of the year. These are all the beaver likely to be found
in any lodge — a total of about ten. In a new colony the number
per lodge will be less. The trapper must remember this:
When trapping for beaver that are not a nuisance, don't over-
trap them if you want to be able to take some again the
following year.
If you trap for profit, diversify your operation. Don't
concentrate just on beaver. A beaver pond is an excellent
place to catch other fur bearers as well. The beaver may
be the easiest of all to trap out, and without him the whole
ecolog)" of the pond soon will disappear.
Even though he is a nuisance sometimes, is responsible
for some timber damage, and has an inconvenient habit of
stopping up culverts and drains. Mr. Beaver is a pretty nice
fellow to have around — in the right places.
Left: Dams provide water deep enough to give access to underwater
food stores in winter. Below: Dam building isn't his only engineering
^^^ feat; he makes canals, too.
^H U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service photo by Scheffer
Is Your Future In
THE WILDLIFE FIELD?
By DOROTHY E. ALLEN
Education Officer
FROM history you have learned that in the past we had
fish and game for the taking. Buffalo roamed west of the
Blue Ridge, flocks of turkeys dotted the Eastern Shore,
passenger pigeons darkened the skies on their seasonal
migration flights, shad caught were a yard long. As our
population increased open space decreased, but professional
management of our wildlife has been able to produce more
wildlife on less land area. Since 1946 in Virginia the num-
ber of hunters has doubled, the number of fishermen tripled.
Hunting and fishing are here to stay. This form of recreation
is an 80 to 100 million dollar business in Virginia, and is
growing in importance constantly. A recent report by The
Center for Economic Projections of the National Planning
Association estimates that the average family income in 1973
will be $9,300; the average work week is expected to be 37.4
hours. People now spend seven days a year in outdoor rec-
reation; by the year 2000 the average person will spend 28
days per year outdoors.
Jobs of new types will open up in the wildlife field. With-
in the past two years the Commission has created several
new positions to keep abreast of the times. A safety training
officer has trained all wardens as hunter safety instructors,
who in turn teach our hunters and Virginia youth the prop-
er respect for firearms. A civil engineer with the Com-
mission plans boat ramps and new lakes. The Commission
is trying to do its part to fulfill the recreational demands
of the ever-increasing number of those who hunt and fish.
The opportunities for a future in wildlife work are bright.
Attention, Teacher
We have received numerous requests from high school stu
dents wanting to know how they can become a game warden.
Many boys believe that, since they like to hunt and fish and
hate "book learning." a job as game warden is the answer
to their future. Still other students write and ask what sub-
jects they should take in order to prepare themselves for a
position as a biologist in the wildlife field.
The Commission seeks not particularly a person who loves
the outdoors, hunting and fishing, but candidates possessing
an educational background and certain personal characteris-
tics. They look for good team workers and not a "have gun,
will check licenses" star. It has been said that a game warden
needs a bushel of common sense, a bale of mechanical apti-
tude, and a barn full of experience. He often works with a
pirk and shovel, drives a truck, carries over rough terrain an
80 to 100 pound buck, handles heavy seines and knows no set
hours. He is a public relations man and must deal with
people, not always under the most pleasant of circumstances.
A game warden's job is probably one of the keenest in
competition. Two years ago over half of the 762 applicants
applying for the vacancies in the Law Enforcement Division
of the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries did not have
the educational requirements or background. Tliree hundred
and sixty were selected for interviews, and physical and mental
tests. Fifty-six men made the grade; they had the background
requirements and passed all tests. The top 21 were selected to
attend a special training course; finally, 18 were assigned as
game warden trainees for one year before becoming full fledg-
ed wardens.
Fish and game biologists need to have taken specific
courses that qualify them for a master's degree in tlieir respec-
tive fields. There is no short cut, and no substitute for study.
Commission photos by Kesteloo
Checking hunters and fishermen, and presenting cases in court, are
just a few of the many jobs game wardens are called upon to do.
History Of The Game Warden
The position of game warden did not originate in the
United States but in England. When the English kings
claimed sovereign rights to the forested lands, a game keep-
er or protector was appointed to guard the king's game from
eager "Robin Hood" poachers. Hunting and fishing were
privileged rights of royalty and the commoner was not allow-
ed to hunt on the king's lands.
After America became the land of the free, a warden was
appointed to protect the game for the people, to see that it
was fairly distributed. Wardens were usually outdoor men,
politically appointed but untrained for work as conserva-
tionists. As dedicated, farseeing men entered the wildlife
field, conservation became a science and a new image of the
game warden evolved.
In 1932-33 Virginia game wardens were identified by a
black uniform and hat. This uniform was changed in 1939
to one of green with a maroon stripe down the leg of riding
pants. Buckled leggings of hard leather completed the out-
fit. ^ .
Today our game wardens are dignified by a smart spot-
less forest green uniform, complete with tie, shiny shoes and
a neat, small brim Stetson.
The first Virginia wardens furnished their own cars, paid
their own mileage and expenses. In February 1961 the ward-
ens were provided with vehicles identified by the seal of
the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries. Our
wardens travel over 31/9 million miles per year, and state-
owned vehicles can be operated at an average of around
10
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
four cents per mile. In-service training has been directed to-
ward making the Virginia game warden an informed, use-
ful, conservation-minded protector of the public game and
the public rights to that game.
To Be A Game Warden
So to be a game warden is your ideal! Last year you
brought down your first big buck and this summer you
outsmarted a citation size bass. You think if you could be a
game warden you'd get to hunt and fish all the time, and
that surely would be fun. Well, if you like to hunt and fish
then be a doctor, an engineer, or a bank teller. If you be-
come a game warden, you will be working: checking the
license of the doctor who downs a deer, stocking fish for
the engineer to land, and telling the bank teller just where he
can go to flush a covey of quail. You'll be so busy working
with wildlife for the public that if you get in one good
hunt a year and perhaps a couple of annual fishing trips,
you'll be lucky.
A game warden is not just a woods cop. He must be a
master craftsman in the woods, and know the laws he en-
forces from A to Z. There is no place for routine. He be-
comes indifferent to hours and physical discomforts. His
duties are challenging, occasionally dangerous, and seldom
boring. Game wardens are proud and dedicated men. Seldom
do you find one who would trade his work for a job of
more glamour and better pay. Many things occur to give
great pleasure and satisfaction. These rewarding experiences
cannot be calculated in dollars and cents.
Now if you still want to become a game warden, start
working towards this goal while you are still in high school.
Belong to and participate in clubs. Such activities as 4-H,
Boy Scouts, FFA help to prepare you in nature work and
help you to adjust socially. Take an active part in sports;
physical capabilities and coordination are important.
If at all possible, attend a nature camp. Work on proj-
ects of collecting insects and plant life. Learn to identify
wildlife and birds you see. Visit a fish hatchery and talk
with the biologist in charge. Get to know the game warden
in your county and let him know of your interest in a future
in the wildlife field. Perhaps he will let you follow him
around on some of his survey work.
Basic courses in English, mathematics, biology, chemistry
are of the utmost importance. If you loathe chemistry, hate
biology, dread mathematics, you won't know about polluted
water, won't understand the properties of soil, the anatomy
of game, or how to figure out fish populations; and you'll
nevei become a good game warden. If you would rather
.substitute fly-tying for chemistry and leather craft for
biology, go into some other field. Speech classes are most
helpful, for game wardens are called upon to speak before
sportsmen's groups, civic organizations, and youth clubs.
Participate in oral recitation. A game warden spends around
425 hours a year on public relations work.
A high school education with a good "outdoor activities"
background will help to prepare you for a job as a game
warden. On top of this develop a drop of humor, a pinch
of kindness, and a fistful of stamina and you'll have a good
chance of being considered worthy of wearing a Virginia
game warden's badge in your future life's work.
(Continued on page 22)
YOU'VE NEVER
CAUGHT A BREAM!
Commission photx) by Kesteloo
By SFC LEO A. AUBREY
Fort Lee, Virginia
SOMEONE once said, "A rose by any other name is
still a rose" and I guess that no matter what a certain
fish is called it remains the same fish. However,
wouldn't it save a lot of confusion and even arguments if
we all used the correct names for each species and avoided
using local names and/or nicknames? This practice (using
local names or nicknames) can get confusing sometimes.
Let's go into this a little deeper.
How many bream or brim would you say you've caught
during your years of fishing? "Ah," you'll say, "I've caught
thousands of them; always got my limit and sometimes
threw back double my limit in small ones." Well, friend, un-
less you've been to Europe and done some fishing there you
have caught exactly NONE! And for a very good reason.
There is no such fresh water fish on the North American
continent, unless it's in a museum or an aquarium. The
bream is a European fresh water fish (Abramis brama) or
a species of salt water fish, {Lagodon rhomboides) . The first
time I heard this name was in Georgia and I thought that
perhaps some had been imported and stocked there, but I
soon found out that it was nothing but a bluegill. So why
not call it a bluegill? Believe it or not, if you mention that
you've caught bluegill in certain sections of the country
some people won't know what you are talking about. This
fish is also called a perch and in New England a kivvie or
kibbie. Confusing isn't it?
When I first arrived in Virginia an acquaintance asked
me to go on a fishing trip for pike. I'd recently returned
from Germany where I'd done quite a bit of pike fishing,
so I was all enthused. We started out and stopped at a bait
shop to get minnows. The largest minnows they had there
were about four inches long.
"We'll never do any good with these minnows," I said.
"They're too small."
"Don't worry," my friend said; "they're just the right
size."
"Are you sure that we are going to fish for pike. Jack,
because I don't see pike mentioned in this booklet on the
fishing laws?"
JANUARY, 1964
11
"Yes, yes. pike."' mv friend said. "I've caught them in this
lake."
After we had been fishing for a half hour or so I got
a strike and landed the fish. "Wow," my friend said. "Sure
got a nice pike there; it'll go about three pounds."
Commission photo
by Kesteloo
I looked at my friend and looked at the fish and said:
"A pike! This is a pickerel." And then the argument started!
Nothing I could say would convince him.
I've read where they have stocked pike in a reservoir in
Virginia and that fishing for them will start in a year or
so. Can you imagine the arguments that will take place when
some fisherman brags to his friends about the fifteen pound
pike that he killed? He'll be known as the biggest liar in
town because the biggest "pike" that they have ever seen
has weighed maybe five or six pounds. So what will they
call a pike then? Great northern pike? Or northern? Maybe
they 11 call them muskies. (Northern pike is correct.) This
calling of fish by the wrong name, especially calling a
pickerel a "pike," probably has caused someone to neglect
to enter a good sized pickerel in "Field and Stream's" annual
fishing contest. It may even have lost someone a new world
record. I know of one case in which an eight pound two
ounce pickerel was landed, but it was called a "pike"; and
although this particular fish won a ten dollar prize for the
angler, as far as I know it was not entered in "Field and
Stream's" annual contest where without a doubt it would
have taken first or second prize. The fisherman lost some
valuable prizes because of not calling a species by the cor-
rect name. The world record pickerel is a nine pound six
ounce fish killed in Homerville, Georgia, in 1961. Other
misnomers for the pickerel are jack, jackfish and snake.
When I first moved to Georgia, I was told about the
eight and ten pound trout that were being caught. I checked
on this and found out that the so called "trout" were large-
mouth bass. Want to get into a hot argument? Tell your
fishing buddy that a bass in a sunfish. (It is.) This fish is
also misnamed bronzeback, bigmouth and linesides. While
stationed in Kentucky I went on a fishing trip for what I was
told was white perch. I brought along a fly rod and I was
told that I'd never get any white perch on that skimpy
thing as the "white perch" there sometimes went up to
twenty pounds.
"Twenty pounds!" I said. "Why the world record white
perch is four pounds and twelve ounces, and that was
caught in 1949 in Maine." Well, we argued all the way to
the river. The fishing was slow that afternoon, but after a
couple of hours I got a strike and landed the fish which
measured about fifteen inches, a so called "white perch." It
was actually a fresh water drum.
Well, you may be saying to yourself, what do I care
what they call the fish in another state? I've never been out
of Virginia in my life and I don't ever intend to leave, so I
know what I'm talking about when I call fish by the names
I've always known them by. That may be true, but isn't it
also true that the more you know about any sport or game
the more you enjoy it? And it also helps you become more
proficient in it. If you are going to engage in fishing for
sport and/or recreation, won't you enjoy it all the more if
you get fish every time you go on a fishing trip? There's a
lot more to fishing than so called "luck." You can't expect
to catch fish by just sticking your line in the water and
hoping. Oh, sure, you might go out on your next trip
and get a five pound bass on your first cast, just like a
rookie ball player might get a home run his first time at
bat in the big league. What we are talking about is being
consistently successful. It's a proven fact that ten percent
of the fisherman get ninety percent of the fish, and no one
is that "lucky" consistently. How do they do it? By know-
how and skill, by being able to "read" the water and by
knowing the correct names. For instance, if you'd like to
know more about "freckles" where would you look for it
in a book on fishing? Well, you could search from begin-
ning to end of the book but you'd never find what you
were looking for because there is no such fish. You'd have
to look it up as crappie. The same applies to bream or
rockfish or silver or ring perch or grindle. These are all
misnomers. A bream is a bluegill, a rockfish is a striped
bass, a silver is a white crappie or a black crappie, a ring
perch is a yellow perch, a grindle is a bowfin. And so on
ad infinitum. (Want another good argument? Tell someone
that a walleye belongs to the perch family. It does!)
For more on this subject there are several good books that
can be purchased in paperback editions for a reasonable
price. The following is a partial listing: Fresh Water Fishes
put out by Colliers; Secrets of Successful Fishing by Dell;
The complete guide to Fresh and Salt Water Fishing by
Cornerstone; and, last but not least, the book put out by
the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, Freshwater
Fishing and Fishlife in Virginia. This is a very informative
book and worth much more than its cost (25^) .
It constantly amazes me that bait house and boat landing
owners dp not use the correct names (especially in the case
of calling a pickerel a pike) but persist in calling fish by
local names or nicknames even when they have a poster
on the wall where all the fish are correctly identified. But
most amazing of all is that writers of outdoor and/or sport-
ing columns persist in this calling of fish by the wrong
names. This practice to me, is misinformation. They should
print an article in which they would inform their readers
that the proper name for the so called "bream" was bluegill
and so on, naming all the fish improperly called locally and
putting down the correct names and from then on calling
them correctly.
To paraphrase Gertrude Stein: "A fish is a fish is a fish,"
but a bluegill will never become a bream by being called
one.
12
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
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gTB CONSERVATIONGRAM §3
ese rai^«^'^ Commission Activities and Late Wildlife News ... At A Glance tgit^ia gajj^
FEE TROUT STREAM BEING DEVELOPED IN SOUTHWEST. A section of Big Tumbling Creek on the
Game Commission's Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area in southwestern
Virginia is nearly ready for pay-as-you-go trout fishing next spring. Modifica-
tions for the fee fishing project include a resident manager's quarters, fish
holding facilities, road improvements, parking areas and some streamside trails.
An improved road is also being constructed along Little Tumbling Creek preparatory
to opening it as a f ish-f or-fiin stream in 1964.
Anglers on the pay-as-you-go stream will need a one dollar daily permit. The Commission
plans to restock the water daily, the number of fish released depending upon the
number of paying fishermen using the stream. Limits will be such that some may get
more than their money's worth to preserve the sporting qualities of the fishing.
Plans call for opening the fee fishing streams on April 4 with the opening of the statewide
trout season. Hunters will benefit from some of the road improvements this
fall, but the area will be open to small game hunting only.
HATCHERY READIED FOR PRODUCTION. The Game Commission's Coursey Springs Fish Cultural
Station in Bath County is being developed this winter so it can handle its full
250,000 pound per year trout production capacity. Construction now in progress
includes 15 ponds 300-400 feet long by 10 feet wide and eight ponds of the same
width about 100 feet long. Much underground piping is also required for water
control.
About 25,000 rainbow trout are already being reared in portions of the facility that have
been completed. This new station, the Commission's largest, will be used to
handle the excess from overloaded facilities and to rear additional trout for new
pay-as-you-go streams. No increase is planned in the approximately 650,000 fish
reared for general release in the Commission's trout stocking program.
ORANGE COUNTY LAKE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS. Construction on the 124 acre fishing lake being
built in Orange County by the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries
began November 11. Construction is to be completed by May 9, 1964. Project costs
are estimated at |117,700.
The lake will be located on Clear Creek five miles east of Orange and will be accessible
from State Route 629. A 3,200 foot paved access road will lead to a 1.5 acre paved
parking lot and sanitary facilities on the lake shore. The earth fill dam will be
45 feet high and 900 feet long and will back up water in the "L" shaped lake to a
maximum depth of 40 feet.
The lake will take an estimated 7 months to fill. Stocking plans call for the introduction
of 800 bluegills, 200 redear sunfish, and 40 channel cats per acre in the fall of
1964. In the spring of 1965 f ingerling bass will be added at the rate of 125 per
acre. The lake will probably not be opened to fishing until the summer of 1966.
12" BASS LIMIT ON ROANOKE TERMED EXPERIMENTAL. The 12" size limit on black bass in portions
of the Roanoke and Dan Rivers recently adopted by the Commission of Game and Inland
Fisheries is a large-scale experiment based on the success of a similar 14 inch
minimum at the Commission's Front Royal Hatchery Ponds. The regulations became
effective January 1, 1964. During the third year, the Front Royal experiments have
shown a tremendous increase both in total yield and individual size of fish in
ponds where the 14 inch minimum bass limit was enforced. The 14 inch limit ponds
produced over twice as many pounds of bass per acre and eight times as many bass
over 10 inches during 1963 as did the ponds where no minimum size limits were in
effect. The percentage of bluegill 7 inches and over taken from the limit ponds
was twice as great as the percentage of fish of this size from the ponds with no
limit. In addition, 383 bass in the nine through 13 inch class were caught and
released in the limit ponds during the May 1-September 5 fishing season. Mor-
tality was reported insignificant.
The 12 inch minimum bass size applies to the Roanoke (Staunton) and Dan Rivers and their
tributaries downstream from Niagara Dam on the Roanoke River and the Brantly
Steam Plant Dam on the Dan River. The effects of the size limit on fishing in
this large area will be carefully studied by fish biologists and the data will
be invaluable in determining the desirability of applying such regulations to
more extensive areas. The Front Royal experiments will also be continued to
gain advance knowledge of the long term effects of the technique.
JANUARY 1964 13
This downed monarch is
the former all-time
trophy contest record
taken by Floyd Lam,
which scored 252-10/16
points. It was finally
beaten by this year's
fop head taken by Peter
F. Crocker in Isle of
Wight County which
scored 267-7/16 points,
setting a new Virginia
record.
COMPETITION was tough and a new State record was
set during the 1962-63 State Big Game Trophy Con-
test held at the Newport News Armory November
9. First place in the nine-points or over class was awarded
to Peter F. Crocker Jr., of Windsor, Virginia, for a 20-point
buck taken in Isle of Wight County. The antlered giant
scored 267 7/16 points when measured according to modi-
fied Boone and Crockett System used, a new record for the
contest and for Virginia. It beat the former all-time winner
(252 10/16) taken by Floyd Lara by nearly 15 points. The
massive Isle of Wight rack was also the top head in the East-
em Regional competition sponsored by the Peninsula Sports-
men's Association.
The number two head in the top class was an eleven
pointer from Botetourt County entered by C. D. Elmore
of New Castle, Virginia, winner of the Western Regional
contest at Harrisonburg. It scored 212 7/8 points. Other
State winners in this class were C. H. Dunning of Suffolk,
third; Ralph Sprakel of Roanoke, fourth; and Gene F. Alt-
man of Middleburg, fifth.
First place in the seven and eight point class went to
R. M. Slaughter of Petersburg, who also took top place in
this category for the Eastern Region. His Sussex County
buck scored 163 11/16 points. Top place in the statewide
NEW RECORD WHITETAII
TOPS
TROPHY CONTES
By HARRY L. GILLAM
Information Officer
1962-63 VIRGINIA BIG-GAME TROPHY WINNER
cu
Name & Address
County of Antler
Kill Points Score F
9 Points
or more
7 or 8
Points
1st Peter F. Crocker, Windsor
2nd C. D. Elmore. New Castle
3rd C. H. Dunning, Suffolk
4th Ralph Sprakel, Roanoke
5th Gene F. Altman, Middleburg
1st R. M. Slaughter, Petersburg
2nd D. F. Alt, Harrisonburg
3rd E. B. Burkholder, Green Castle,
Pennsylvania
4th Manuel Dodson, Orange
5th L. E. Crocker, Windsor
Isle of Wright 26
Botetourt I I
Nansemond 12
Bath 1 1
Loudoun 1 1
Sussex
Rockingham
Augusta
Orange
Isle of Wright 8
6 Points
or Less
Archery
1st R. L. McDaniel, Newport News New Kent
2nd Judy Row, Bridgewater
3rd W. R. Harris, Tabb
1st Ray Carter, Radford
2nd G. E. Haney, Orange
Augusta
James City
Pulaski
Orange
6
6
8
II
267-7/16
212-7/8
209-9/16
204-6/8
180-3/16
163-11/16
162-15/16
161 -9/16
159-7/16
147-7/8
107-9/16
94-2/8
54-15/16
176-5/16
142-5/8
I
1
The Harrisonburg Armory
fairly bristled with antler
tines during the Western
Big Game Trophy show Oc-
tober 17 through 19. Sport-
ing equipment displays by
manufacturers and dealers
added flavor and interest
to the popular event.
Eastern C te<
with theiiihi
left to 1 h--
George E H
place bov it
R. Harris i
point clas! ^
first placi 6
Back row; ^t
2nd place f
M. Slaugh .
point cla
Dunning ( r
second pi 2
over, anc F
Crocker, .
point 1
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
Newport News Daily Press photo
ig Game Trophy Contest winners for 1962-63 shown with their trophies are, left
3 right, R. M. Slaughter of Petersburg with the best eight pointer; Peter Frank
docker, Jr., of Windsor, with the year's top trophy and the current Virginia record;
. L. McDaniel of Newport News with the leading six-pointer; and Ray S. Carter
f Radford with the top bow and arrow trophy for the year. All but the bow and
arrow winner were killed in eastern Virginia.
Standing
t* 'Eastern
Til 'Western
« — Eastern
« I — Western
•1 Eastern
■i) Eastern
i) Western
I — Western
:( — Eastern
nlj Eastern
ilj Western
:«t — Eastern
tA^estern
iastern
'»■ winners
k< ware are:
ilti rent row,
H< y, Jr., 1st
n arrow; W.
2
I
k
to:
Winners of the Western Regional competition are, front row center,
C. D. Elmore of New Castle with the top Western rack; center
right, D. F. Alt of Harrisonburg with the best 7-8 pointer; left
rear, the top archery trophy taken by Ray Carter of Radford,
and, center rear, Judy Row with the best Western six-pointer.
Newport News Daily Press photo
place 6
McDaniel,
3int class.
)l Dodson,
3 t class; R.
t place 8-
s. C. H.
s b a n d),
)oInts and
'« • Frank
f place 9-
f over.
The best archery head taken during the 1962-63 season by Ray Carter
of Radford. Its 18 point rack scored 176-5/16 points by the official
scoring system.
six point or less class also went to an Eastern winner, R. M.
McDaniel of Newport News, for a buck taken in New Kent
County.
Archery division winner Ray Carter of Radford, Virginia,
broke the Eastern Section's winning streak with his eight
point buck from Pulaski County. This archery trophy
scored 176 5/16 points.
Western Regional competition was sponsored by the Har-
risonburg-Rockingham County Izaak Walton League Chap-
ter. The Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries furnishes
engraved trophies for the first place winners in each class
of State competition and certificates of honorable mention
for other winners in these categories.
The Game Commission sponsors the statewide big game
competition each year in an effort to focus attention on the
esthetic aspects of big game hunting and to give trophies
taken in Virginia proper recognition. There are no entry
fees and competition is open to all deer and bear taken in
Virginia. All trophies entered in state competition must first
be entered in the appropriate regional contest. Eastern com-
petition is limited to animals taken east of the Blue Ridge
and western competition is likewise limited to animals taken
west of that line. A valid big game tag or other proof of
legal kill must accompany entries. Details of each year's
contest are announced in the early fall.
Traditionally, the state competition has been held alter-
nately with the western and eastern regional contests. Thus,
next year's state contest should be in conjunction with the
Western Regional, usually held in Harrisonburg.
15
ALMOST EVERYBODY WAS HAPPY
(Continued from page 7)
In Virginia, in 1960-61, 36,166 deer were taken. The re-
maining deer produced the fawns in 1962 that are showing
up now at checking stations, as yearlings, in much better
physical conditions than the previous year's crop had at-
tained at the same age. This may indicate that the big
harvest of 1960-61 generally was large enough to get the
deer population within bounds over most of the state.
There is usually a big fuss made over antlers. Antlers,
growing from a pedicel on the skull and developing from the
tips outward, are among the fastest growing animal tissue
known to man. However, it takes a high level of nutrition in
an animal to produce a normal set. A button buck is a buck
fawn. A yearling buck will vary from spikes to six or even
ten points, depending on how healthy and well fed he is. If
short rations are hard on him, he'll be an average spike
buck. Skimpy antlers usually mean a downhill deer herd.
Age for age the best racks are grown by the best fed bucks.
Hunters had gotten the word before "D" Day 1963 that
biologists would like to have deer heads for research on the
brain worm. Many offered the heads before they were ap-
proached. A father who had brought his young son along
with him to check in his deer said, "I want you to take the
head and do that study, because it might help my son
have deer to hunt when he grows up."
The "downer" of a spike deer pleaded. "Please take the
head ; last year I took home a six pointer and I don't want
my kids to see this one."
One hunter asked, "What about the deer that are not
harvested?" Food controls their chances of survival. In
winter a 100 pound deer requires four to seven pounds of
food per day depending on food quality. They can stand
a winter weight loss up to 30 per cent of their fall weight
if they go into winter in good shape (as they appear to be
this year) , but that is the limit.
Seventy-five per cent of all deer to be harvested in some
localities are taken the first day. In Rockingham County
last year 767 deer were taken the first day. This year ap-
proximately 900 were taken. In another county, though, this
year's opening day kill was about half last year's.
Our biologists have a long winter's calculation ahead of
Commission photo by Kesteloo
Sherry Cumberland, age 15, checks in a nice yearling she downed
with a shotgun on her first deer hunt.
them analyzing the kill, relating numbers to ages, sex,
weights and measurements. All the information collected
from around 2,000 checking stations in Virginia has to be
sifted and boiled down. Some of the seemingly simplest
questions cannot be answered completely yet. As additional
data is accumulated the picture will become more complete.
The darkness of evening blots out the surrounding moun-
tains and a gentle rain begins to fall. "D" Day draws to a
close as the "battle weary" on both sides bed down for the
night. After staring at teeth all day the checkers are thankful
that they are not dentists. They gather up their equipment
and leave the checking station for another year. Each kink
in the serpentine mountainous road seems to get sharper as
one drives to the city below. At long last — the welcoming
lights of the motel with hot showers and good food, but most
of all a toothbrush. After unlocking the door I flip on the
TV to see if by chance there will be any hunting news. What
luck. A happy hunter. There stands a shapely lass showing
her teeth and donned for the kill. She'll get her dear, for
she had 20 per cent less cavities using formulated toothpaste!
Antlers are not good indicators
of age. The best racks usually
are grown by the best fed
bucks.
Photos by Leonard Lee Rue III
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
THE MAIL ORDER GUN BILL
ON August 2 of this year Senator Thomas J. Dodd (D-
Connecticut) introduced a bill to curb currently un-
restricted mail order traffic in concealable firearms.
The bill was prompted by findings of an inquiry conducted
by the Senate juvenile delinquency subcommittee. Investi-
gators reported that mail order houses, specializing in the
sale of firearms, had been selling revolvers and pistols to
convicted felons, teen-agers, mental defectives and narcotic
addicts.
The Dodd bill would prohibit interstate shipment of such
firearms to localities in which sale to minors and convicted
felons is prohibited. Under its provisions prospective pur-
chasers would also be required to submit sworn affidavits
showing the buyer's age, name, legal address, criminal rec-
ords (if any), and a statement to the effect that he was
acting in compliance with state gun laws.
The bill, as introduced last August, had the backing of
the National Ritle Association, and also of domestic arms
manufacturers and the nation's major gun clubs. This bill
is eminently sound, and should be adopted.
However, after the assassination of President Kennedy,
Senator Dodd added amendments which would cover the
sale of all firearms, regardless of size, shape, or caliber. This
would include shotguns and rifles, like the Italian military
surplus 6.5 Carcano carbine which Oswald is said to have
used in killing Mr. Kennedy.
In appealing for support of the amended bill, Senator
Dodd predicted that all law-abiding sportsmen and gun
owners would be willing to tolerate what he felt to be only
a "slight inconvenience at the worst."
"What more do we need, (he asked) than the death of
a beloved President to arouse us to place some regulation
on this traffic in guns used in crime?"
We understand, and we share, the senator's anguish over
the fact that the weapon used in the assassination was put
into the alleged killer's hands by a mail order house which
made a practice of selling firearms and ammunition to any-
one able to put up the cash.
But the senator's words imply that the assassination might
have been prevented if his bill, as amended, had been en-
acted into law.
A criminal, determined to commit a crime involving the
felonious use of revolver, pistol, shotgun or rifle, would not
be dissuaded by a law prohibiting purchase in violation of
the proposed curbs.
Nor would the law, as amended, discourage "black
market" traffic in guns. Veteran police officials, we believe,
would agree on this point.
It is high time that Senator Dodd's original bill were
enacted. The proposed amendments, however, would cause
more than "slight inconvenience." The restrictions would
necessitate needless red tape for police, domestic arms manu-
facturers, sporting goods dealers, and sportsmen — without
in any way restricting criminals, or lessening illegal sale by
unscrupulous dealers who would be able to reap fat profits
from the sale of contraband.
Sale and purchase of concealable firearms are widely
regulated by local laws ....
These local laws, together with the original Dodd bill, re-
stricting interstate shipment of concealable weapons, should
suffice to keep such firearms out of the hands of "convicted
felons, teen-agers, mental defectives and narcotic addicts."
Reprinted by permission fiom an editorial in the November 30, 1963, issue
of the Richmond TiiKcs-Dispatch.
SUCCESSFUL UPLAND GAME PROJECT (Continued from page 5
Use of Annuals
Throughout the history of the project, by far the most
popular of the subsidization materials has been the con-
glomeration of various plant species commonly known as
"game bird mixture." The group of annuals which makes
up the mixture is composed of the following: soybeans (two
varieties), cowpeas (two kinds), Korean lespedeza, German
millet, brown-top millet, buckwheat, milo maize and rape.
The Korean lespedeza will often reseed itself for several
years, but the other plant species are a "one shot" proposi-
tion.
The above game bird mixture is utilized by most of Vir-
ginia's game birds and animals. Quail, turkeys, doves, rab-
bits and deer are attracted by this food planting.
The game bird mixture has been especially spectacular
in its results on quail populations. Ordinarily, if a planting
is made in an acceptable location, a covey of birds can al-
most be guaranteed to be using the planting at times during
the fall and winter months. Many hunters are aware of this
heavy utilization and hunt the food plantings daily. Over
300 tons of game bird mixture have been seeded in the old
Dominion since the start of the project. Whether the annual
planting program has resulted in the production of addi-
tional wildlife, or has just made it more available to hunters,
(Continued on next page)
Commission photo by Kesteloo
Plantings of the group of annuals known as "game bird mixture" have
been especially spectacular in their results on quail populations.
JANUARY, 1964
17
SUCCESSFUL UPLAND GAME PROJECT
(Continued from page 17)
has varied locality by locality. Where the game bird mixture
has been grown in conjunction with perennial borders, it
has produced year 'round habitat (and game) where none
existed before.
From 1949 through 1956, Virginia's farm game co-
operators also were allocated milo maize seed. This plant
was found to be a preferred food for deer, quail, doves and
turkeys. Milo. when seeded in a well prepared seed bed and
fertilized adequately, produces an excellent yield of good
wildlife food. However, many cooperators were prone to plant
milo year after year on the same plot with inadequate fertil-
ization. This usually resulted in progressively poorer plant-
ings and seed production. Since some milo was included in
the game bird mixture, it was finally decided to eliminate
the distribution of pure milo maize seed.
Follow-up Studies
Project biologists by 1952 had begun to question some
of the practices which were being advocated and accepted
as the panacea for game management problems on farm
land. They realized that figures on paper showing total num-
ber of cooperators. and thousands of plants or bags of seed
distributed, did not necessarily indicate successful wildlife
plantings, nor guarantee wildlife utilization and larger game
populations. In 1953, biologists embarked on a critical study
to evaluate the true results of the free distribution of mil-
lions of plants and tons of seed to thousands of Virginia
landowners.
Approximately 50 per cent of the wildlife plantings were
graded in the Excellent and Good categories, while 15 per
cent of the materials had resulted in failures or had never
even been planted. The remaining 35 per cent had produced
plantings in the Fair and Poor categories.
This statewide sampling of wildlife borders continued for
three consecutive years. Results were practically constant in
the various categories from year to year. Spot checks have
been carried out each succeeding year thereafter.
As a direct outcome of these studies, it was determined as
a future project policy to stress quality plantings over quan-
tity operations. If necessary, total numbers of farm game
cooperators would be sacrificed in favor of better wildlife
habitat developments. As the years progressed, however, both
the quantity of plantings and the quality of the develop-
ments have increased.
Tractor Projects
One of the most unique enterprises was the development
of cooperative tractor projects. Probably nothing similar
to these has ever been attempted elsewhere in the United
States.
At the urging of Game Commission personnel and inter-
ested local sportsmen, the Powhatan County Board of Super-
visors agreed to purchase a tractor and farming attachments
to be used to develop wildlife plantings throughout the coun-
ty. The Commission entered into a formal agreement with
the Powhatan Board, undertaking to provide labor, seed and
fertilizer for the program. Thus the Game Commission, the
local governing body, and local sportsmen pooled their re-
sources to manage a wildlife resource of the county.
A similar cooperative agreement was negotiated with the
Nottoway County Board of Supervisors. In this county two
sportsmen's organizations, from Blackstone and Crewe, have
a.ssisted annually with cash subsidization and have provided
some manual assistance.
After ten years of operations, all cooperating individuals
are extremely proud of the accomplishments of these two
tractor projects. Farm game populations have increased re-
markably and public hunting, at least for county residents,
apparently is no longer a problem. The success of the proj-
ects can be attributed in large part to the outstanding efforts
of local game wardens and the cooperation of local sportsmen
and governing bodies.
Later cooperative tractor projects were attempted in a
number of other counties. None of these projects enjoyed
the success of the Powhatan and Nottoway projects. Lack of
local interest and conflicting land-use patterns have been to
blame.
Utility Right-of-Way Developments
During the early 1950's public utility organizations in
Virginia began experimenting with various techniques to
control invading vegetation on their rights-of-way. Each of
the utility outfits had literally thousands of miles to be
treated annually. Haridcutting. which had for many years
been the accepted method of treatment, was expensive, es-
pecially since sprout growth usually became more vigorous
with cutting and thus created a never ending job. In search-
ing for new techniques several of the organizations experi-
mented with various commercial chemical brush killers,
while others initiated the practice of bulldozing and discing
to eliminate obnoxious brush and sprout growth.
Since many of these rights-of-way crossed wooded areas
and fallow land (popular hunting areas), their potentialities
for future wildlife developments were soon recognized. It
was reasoned that if the utility lines were seeded to the
proper plant species, the habitat thus created would be in-
valuable for wildlife. Biologists emphasized to representa-
tives of the utilities that if bulldozed areas were seeded,
limed and fertilized a good sod of grasses and legumes
could become a deterrent to future growth of sprouts and
trees.
Possibilities for cooperative action in developing these
rights-of-way as multiple purpose projects soon become ob-
vious to Commission personnel and to progressive oflBcials
of utility organizations.
.As early as 1954, project biologists began experimenting
with various seeding mixtures for the development of power,
gas and telephone lines as wildlife habitat. There were a
number of unique problems involved with these planting
programs. Plant species which would be vigorous enough to
cover the barren areas and prevent growth of sprouts were
not always preferred wildlife foods. It became apparent that
compromises would have to be made.
As a result of experimentation and cooperation, a number
of outstanding planting programs on utility rights-of-way
have resulted in Virginia in the past ten years. The Trans-
continental Pipeline Corporation, whose 100-foot gas line
transects Virginia from Danville to Washington, was one
of the first to initiate a complete planting program without
any assistance from the Commission except for technical
advice. Their entire line, except for crop land and pastures,
has been seeded, limed and fertilized on two different oc-
casions (the second seeding being necessary when the line
had to be torn up to add another series of pipes) . The com-
pany felt that the grasses and legumes prevented erosion and
aided in access for patrolling.
18
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
At least three electric cooperatives have done outstanding
wildlife planting jobs on their utility rights-of-way: South-
side, Central Virginia and Prince George. Each of these co-
operatives utilized different planting techniques. They have
contributed greatly toward improving thousands of acres
of wildlife habitat in Virginia.
The most popular materials for seeding rights-of-way in-
clude: sericea lespedeza, Korean lespedeza, ladino clover
and Kentucky fescue grass.
Whenever a right-of-way passes through a Commission
wildlife management unit, the lines are intensively developed
and maintained by project personnel. These plantings have
proven to be supplemental sources of food and cover for
wildlife, and have many advantages over the traditional one-
acre clearings. These planted lines are extremely popular
for quail hunting and also are excellent for deer stands. Most
important, they have demonstrated the usefulness of wildlife
plantings as an aid to right-of-way maintenance.
Project Innovations
In 1958, a number of significant changes were effected in
the operation of Project 28-D. Until this date the project was
referred to strictly as the Farm Game Project. It included
all activities described in the foregoing sections — farm
planning, distribution of planting materials, follow-up and
evaluation and research.
The three State Forests (Cumberland. Buckingham-Appo-
mattox and Prince Edward), and Camp Pickett, were closely
associated with Project 28-D. The four management areas
had always been utilized to test various planting materials,
and they served as excellent demonstrations of farm game
techniques. Through cooperative agreements with the Vir-
ginia Forestry Division and the U. S. Second Army, all
four areas, encompassing over 90.000 acres, were open to
public hunting. These units offered the largest and best pub-
lic hunting for the farm game species (quail and rabbits)
that could be found in Virginia. It was almost inevitable
that the management activities on these areas eventually
would be incorporated into Project 28-D. The project finally
offered something that had become increasingly more im-
portant— public hunting!
As the years passed, although technical assistance and
free planting materials were still granted to cooperating
landowners through state funds, the federal aid project be-
came more and more oriented toward obtaining and man-
aging land for public hunting. The distinction here should
be emphasized. Funds and efforts expended on land avail-
able to all Virginians to enjoy seemed to be more justifiable
than similar time and monies spent on private land where
a few landowners derive most benefit from the program. As
this concept became more widely accepted, gradually all
of Virginia's 17 public upland hunting areas east of the
Blue Ridge were incorporated into Project 28-D, which in
1961 became known as the Upland Game Development
Project. This also was the year when the subsidization of
planting materials and planting on privately owned farm
land were removed from the scope of Project 28-D entirely.
These activities are still carried out but financed entirely
through state funds. Thus over a period of years the project
went through a complete transformation. Project 28-D has
always been flexible and adaptable; it is now geared to
provide the most recreation to the greatest number of people.
U.S. Forest Service photo
Once strictly a farm game project, 28-D has been broadened to in-
clude the management ot public hunting areas for turkeys and other
upland game species as well.
Planting food and cover has always been the major ac-
tivity on management areas. Plantings are made on clear-
ings, firebreaks, utility rights-of-way. abandoned fields, and
road shoulders. Both annuals and perennials are seeded and
planting operations are carried out both in the spring and
in the fall. During the 1962-63 work period a grand total
of 862 acres of wildlife food and cover plantings were
planned for the seventeen management areas. Planting of
larger fields of millet to provide public dove hunting is a
recent project innovation. Bulldozers are utilized to create
new clearings and firebreaks. In a normal year, 125 acres
of new clearings will be created and developed. Utilizing
rotary mowers, game managers annually treat approximately
1,000 acres in order to retard ecological successions of un-
desirable vegetation.
Project 28-D Today and Tomorrow
Present wildlife management work in Virginia incorpo-
rates the best of the knowledge and experience garnered in
the past. Biologists are constantly searching for new and
improved techniques for managing the various wildlife
species. Much attention is being given to acquiring addi-
tional public hunting lands through cooperative agreements,
direct purchase and through lease. More efficient methods
of producing wildlife crops on these publicly managed lands
will be a main objective in the years to come. At the same
time, methods of wildlife production on privately owned land
continue to receive attention. The main obstacle to universal
acceptance and application of game management practices
on private land is the lack of financial incentive to the land-
owner. As human population increases, as more land be-
comes intensively utilized for other purposes, and as the de-
mand for outdoor recreation grows, eventually the incentive
problem may be resolved. In the meantime, work which has
been done and that still to be accomplished under Project
28-D will make a valuable contribution to the production of
an annual harvestable supply of wildlife for the benefit of
Virginia's outdoor recreation-minded public.
JANUARY. 1964
19
r^
WJ^at B(^B^Crom
By KATHERINE W. MOSELEY
Arlington, Virginia
IT was a dazzling, blue-skied Christmas card of a day.
The snow-smothered hills were stepping stones toward
the towering mountains which seemed unbelievably
close. The snow, purple-shadowed in the afternoon sun, had
been swirled by the wind into patterns like a tide-swept
beach.
Now the gales had passed and a solemn stillness of
cathedral-quiet touched the white shrouded rail fences and
the cotton-topped forest trees. The silence was so majestic
that our muffled footsteps seemed profane. Then high above
the treetops, across the blue-arched sky, five crows winged
by shouting their raucous calls.
"I wonder what the crows are saying," I asked.
"Is it conversation or song?" Gray answered. Then he
added, "Wasn't it Shakespeare Avho wrote,
'The crow doth sing as sweetly as the lark
When neither is attended'?"
We knew the crows well for they flew back and forth
daily over our house as though to satisfy their curiosity as
to just what we'd been up to on this country land we had
recently bought. We had seen their straggly, summer nest
of sticks and twigs high in a white pine tree, and we guessed
that the flock of five was still the family group.
As if the crows' cries had turned the key that opened the
music box we began to hear other sounds on that winter's
afternoon. The little stream suddenly burst its ice-clogged
surface to trickle softly on the way to the river. A pair of
gray squirrels barked and started to make cautious glides
around the tree trunk of the red oak den tree, occasionally
pausing to shake their fluffy tails and chatter. We stood
very still.
One squirrel crept down the tree and ventured out to a
certain place on the snow covered earth where it sniffed
along; then suddenly it stopped to dig down and scuffle the
snow and dirt until it unearthed a walnut. The other squirrel
watched ; then it joined the first to paw in the snow until
another nut was found. With graceful bounces and long
tails undulating they again reached the wide bare branch
of the tree to enjoy their supper. Walnuts under an oak
tree? Undoubtedly they had been buried for just such an
emergency.
A faint, furtive rustling in the brushy thicket over the
hill made us lift our heavy boots in crude attempts to tiptoe.
We were just in time to see a little brown rabbit, its cotton-
tail camouflaged by the snow, bound from its hiding place
to stand on hind legs and tear at the bark of a young crab-
apple wilding. It gnawed away in great contentment.
A few slate colored juncoes flew swiftly with whir of
wings from the seed pods of dried vines that clung to the
lower fences, chickadees in black caps and bibs quickly
sailed in to take their places with cheerful cries of chickadee-
dee-dee. Some of the birds clung to the vines and threshed
and ate their seeds while others hopped over the snow to
pick up seeds that had fallen. We smiled for we knew that
neither the juncoes nor the chickadees nor the titmice were
in need. They had dined long and well and often at our
feeding station throughout the day; yet it was so right to
see the birds, picturesque and joyous, hover about the snowy
vines on the old fences like something out of a fairy tale.
A continual soft tap-tapping assured us that a woodpecker
was near and because the notes were low we knew it was
looking for food. Finally we saw the small downy wood-
pecker clinging to a tree. His red patch seemed gaudier than
scarlet in the white world about him but his barred outer
tail feathers were impeccably tailored for a winter's feast.
Angry cries of ki-ti, kit-ti, kit, shrilled up the hillside as
a red headed woodpecker screeched in outrage and a squirrel
scolded back. The woodpecker darted madly at the maraud-
ing squirrel, who had found a partly decayed hole in a tall
stump where the woodpecker had hoarded a small store of
acorns. Like a pair of angry woodsmen the curses flew until
the squirrel gave up and departed, empty mouthed.
The moles had burrowed little tunnels under the snow
which meandered along without rhyme or reason. The sub-
terranean roads carved by tiny noses and feet represented
engineering skills. It must be great fun to push along under
the soft snow with its insulating warmth.
Over the shining, white blanket of the earth was feather-
stitching and embroidery where the meadow mice had
played and searched for food. A small bare-footed child
seemed to have wandered by the stream for there were the
curious, unmistakable tracks of a raccoon which so closely
resemble those of a very young child.
A sudden puff of white smoke against the paling sky
reminded us that the fireplace must need more wood and
we were thankful for our hearth, that symbol of comfort
and security. The fireplace logs, cut from our own land,
are neatly stacked ready for use. Oak and hickory burn with
a clear, golden flame and give the most heat. Hemlock and
pine splutter and hiss in a quarrelsome way and burn out
quickly. Maple wood gives a constant, quiet, red glow. The
loveliest of all is the apple wood which burns very smoothly
with a rainbow of colors and an intoxicating fragrance.
So we turned our steps over the snow towards the warmth
of home. Once more the crows were in the sky and shrieked
at us as we trudged along, but this time I knew what they
were saying.
Awkward and unbeautiful, with harsh hoarse songs are
the crows but they, like most of us humans, must somehow
in whatever voice we are given, sing praises in reverence and
chant fervent psalms for the peace and unearthly beauty of
the world we live in after a winter's snow storm.
The darkening day, the forest, all of Nature, save the
crows, seemed at that moment to hold its breath in thanks-
giving for the rare and enchanted hour of frozen perfection.
20
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
*7fe ^%<Mm ^eliccut
By DR. J. J. MURRAY
Lexington
PELICANS are strange looking, ungainly birds. They
seem clumsy in the water and still more so on the
ground, but they are very successful in their feeding
habits. In the air they are not at all awkward. A small group
of six to a dozen birds will fly in a solemn procession,
neither in a row nor in a file but usually in a diagonal
formation. While they can fly rapidly, they generally go
at a dignified pace. In fact, despite its rather grotesque ap-
pearance, dignity is the word that seems to fit this great bird.
These birds sometimes travel great distances to their
favorite feeding grounds, but infrequently as much as fifty
miles, so they are no inexpert aviators. In ordinary travel
they alternately flap their wings a few beats and then sail
on stiff wings. They are experts in using the air currents,
flying high on a favorable wind, or flying close to the water
when going against the wind. Sometimes they seem to rest
in the air, a flock soaring in a great circle high in the sky.
The brown pelican, which is abundant in Florida and
rather common up to South Carolina, is a very uncommon
bird in our state. It occurs occasionally on the coast and
has been recorded at Suff^olk and Charlottesville and in
Fairfax County.
They are huge birds, about 50 inches in length from the
tip of the bill to the end of the tail, with a wingspread of
80 inches. While they vary very much in weight, the average
is between eight and nine pounds.
I have often promised myself a visit to one of the nesting
grounds of the brown pelican on some of the out of the way
islands of the far South, but have not yet had that oppor-
tunity. The birds nest on the ground or on low bushes, and
in colonies, usually on an island and generally in mid-winter.
Two or three large white eggs are laid. In about four weeks
the ungainly young hatch. At once they begin to cry for
food, a clamor that never ceases until they are able to leave
the nests and fish for themselves.
The brown pelican dives for its food, while its relative, the
white pelican, feeds from the surface of the water. The
brown pelican is so buoyant in the water that it must dive
from a height of at least 20 or 30 feet in order to get its
fish. When the fish is caught, it is either swallowed at once
or, if there are young in the distant nest, cached in its
pouch. This huge pouch can store great quantities of fish.
Commercial fishermen often want pelicans killed, claim-
ing that they destroy great quantities of fish. It is true that
they are great fishermen, but it has been proven that most
of the fish they catch are worthless. Dr. T. Gilbert Pearson
was asked by government officials to make a study of the
pelican's food habits. He found that in Texas practically the
whole catch of the bird was of fish not fit for human con-
sumption and that even on the east coast, where their favor-
ite menhaden are not as abundant, few good fish were
taken.
JANUARY 1964
21
IS YOUR FUTURE IN THE WILDLIFE FIELD?
(Continued fronn page I I )
Wildlife biology is a specialized field
that requires at least a master's degree.
Below: Checking available wildlife food
supplies, and live trapping animals for
study, are among the biologists' many
duties.
^**-< > A ♦."'5
To Be A Wildlife Biologist
Wildlife management is a manipulation of land, water,
plants and animals (including man) to produce the desired
combination of animals for recreational enjoyment and use
by the people. Since hunting and fishing are here to stay,
there will be continuing need for professional management
of our wildlife resources. As the demand grows, open space
decreases. Intensive management means more surveys and
studies to be made and will require more specialists.
Wildlife biology is a highly specialized field that requires
at least a master's degree. In high school take preparatory
courses for college including chemistry, physics, biology,
mathematics, and a foreign language. Check with your
librarian for the colleges offering degrees in wildlife
management. Consult college catalogs for entrance require-
ments. Most all colleges require certain basic courses for the
first two years. The wildlife biologist, as the title implies,
requires a strong background in biology and such specialized
courses as zoology, botany, genetics, ecology and applied
courses in wildlife management. He must also be able to
communicate the objectives and results of his work and to
deal effectively with people. The game biologist manages
wildlife for man. It could be said that his problems are
approximately 80 percent human and 20 percent wildlife.
To Be A Fisheries Biologist
The ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Romans raised fish in
ponds and had regulations controlling the harvest of fish,
but fishery biology is a new, rapidly expanding field. Vari-
ous surveys have indicated that the college curriculum should
include mathematics through one year of calculus, statistical
methods, chemistry through organic, bacteriology, a strong
background in zoology, botany, and genetics, with specializa-
tion in the aquatic sciences and fishery biology.
22
Rewards Of Your Career
If you really want an education in this field but have
more determination than money, you'll get your degree.
Most colleges offer part time jobs, summer work, and fel-
lowships. A degree in wildlife management, fish manage-
ment, conservation of natural resources, zoology, biology,
limnology or ecology will prepare you for a position in the
wildlife field. True, a lot of your work will be in the field;
but you will also have a world of paper work to do: letters,
memoranda, written reports, etc. Take all the English com-
position, speech, journalism you can, for your work may be
judged on how well you express yourself orally and in writ-
ing.
The pay in conservation professions may not be high. If
the dollar sign stands high with you, pick another field.
Most positions in the wildlife field are under some form of
merit system, have a retirement plan, offer low-rate health
and life insurance, have adequate vacation and sick leave
benefits. The conservation field is no more perfect than any
other field. Things will happen to cause disappointment and
grumbling, but these will be balanced out by experiences that
give great pleasure and satisfaction. During your college
years develop a mature outlook on realities of life. If you
don't, you're in for a rude awakening on the job. What you
believe to be right or wrong has to be balanced with what
is right or wrong for your organization as a whole. In any
job where you are a public servant, as in wildlife work,
you will be exposed to public opinion pressures, conflicting
interests, temptations. Your job will require your being ma-
ture enough to accept the realities of life and being concern-
ed with how you can do the best job under the circum-
stances. If you are really interested in making the wildlife
field your life work and if you can accept the facts of busi-
ness politics and human nature, you'll hardly find a career
that will be more satisfying or rewarding.
The fish biologist is called upon to do scientific investigation in the
laboratory as well as in the field. He must be both student and out-
doorsman.
Commission photos by Kesteloo
Edited by DOROTHY ALLEN
Hunter Safety Course
Photo by W. A. Haislip
Among the 153 students ot Lancaster High
School participating in the hunter safety course
taught by H. H. Pittman, game warden, were
(left to right) Anthony Whaley, Jimmy Gaslcins,
and Warner George. Dave L. Reedy (far left)
is vo-ag instructor at the school.
The Lancaster Chapter of Future
Farmers of America, the National Rifle
Association, and the Virginia Game
Commission sponsored a hunter safety
course at Lancaster High School. Ward-
en H. H. Pittman was assisted in
teaching the course by Darrell Ferrell,
Coordinator, Field Educational Services
of the Game Commission, State Trooper
C. W. Gibbs. and Coach W. D. Ward.
One hundred and fifty-three boys
have taken part in the course. Pittman
encouraged the boys to follow the ten
golden rules for handling firearms and
pointed out that the landowner rights
should be respected because he is the one
who provides the game to be hunted. He
also said that the majority of accidents
that occur are among hunters nineteen
and under.
The boys will receive achievement
certificates, identification cards, and
NRA shoulder patches to wear on hunt-
ing coats.
The Lancaster County Lions Club
furnished materials and supplies for the
hunter safety course.
Bland Youth Gets First Deer
The first deer killed in Bland County
was downed by 11-year-old Hal Tate,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Tate. Hal
displayed his skill by taking his 50-60
pound doe with bow and arrow.
YOUTH
/iFIEU?
Food Patch Contest
The Ruritan Clubs of Brunswick
County, in cooperation with the Soil
Conservation Service, sponsored a wild-
life food patch contest. Twenty-five boys
and girls between the ages of 12 and 18
completed the conservation project.
Tommy Gaskins of Dolphin was
awarded a $25 savings bond, a day's
hunt at a shooting preserve, and a three
year subscription to Virginia Wildlife
for having the outstanding food patch.
Second prize went to Pat Mathews of
Warfield who received a day's hunt at
a shooting preserve and a three year
subscription to Virginia Wildlife.
Steve Lewis of Alberta received a
similar prize, with his food patch rating
third.
The following contestants who had
outstanding wildlife food patches re-
ceived a one vear subscription to Vir-
ginia Wildlife:
Rannie Burge. John Taylor Watts,
Lonnie Powell. William Russ. Kenneth
Webster. Eugene Kleis. James Vaughan.
Billy Harrison. Burnell Hawthorne.
Michael King. George E. Coleman. Terry
Sharpe. Emory Clary. Aubrey Wray,
Billy Peebles. Jerry B. Malone. Billy
Barham. Jr.. Robert Barnette. Jr.. Eu-
gene Daniel. Charles Vaughan, David
Lucy, and Peggy Brookwell.
Tommy Gaskins of Dolphin: top wildlife food
patch winner of Brunswick County.
A January Project
When the trees are bare of leaves is
a good time to look for last year's va-
cated bird's nest. Find one and find
out what it is made of. Try planting it,
keep it watered, and see if any of
the seeds dropped by the parent birds
will grow.
Chesterfield Ruritan Club
Sponsors Hunter Safety Course
Warden J. R. Bellamy, with seven of eleven
boys who took the hunter safety course sponsor-
ed by Chesterfield Ruritan Club. (Left to right
top row) Charles Dyer, Cary Berger, Warden
Bellamy, George Dyer, and Eugene Berger;
(bottom row) htoward Hudgins, Tommy Adams,
David White, and James Dyer.
Chesterfield Ruritan Club sponsored
a hunter safety class for the Boy Scouts
in their area. J. R. Bellamy, Game Ward-
en. Chesterfield County, instructed the
boys. Howard Hudgins made a perfect
score on shooting clay pigeons at the
l.W.L.A. skeet range. Bellamy, who is
the chairman of the Youth Committee,
has conducted three hunter safety class-
es, has taken the boys on two field trips,
and has planned a deer hunting trip for
the boys. Bellamy received an award as
the outstanding chairman of a club for
1963 and has been elected secretary of
the Chesterfield Ruritan Club for 1964.
4-H Boys Get Gun Safety Awards
The Courtland 4-H boys met recently
at the Davis Ridley Hunt Club with
their fathers and adult leaders to re-
ceive awards for "Gun Safety."
Certificates, shoulder patches and
cards were issued to the following boys
by Ben Williams, Jr.: Terry Grizzard,
Nicky Nichols, Bob Williams, Dale Pitt-
man, Chris Hill. Doug Futrell, Henry
Pittman, Herb Edwards, and Paul Davis.
S. V. Camp, Jr., Game Warden,
Southampton County, instructed the boys.
Garland Davis, president of the Davis
Ridley Hunt Club, agreed to recommend
to the club that one day be set aside to
allow these boys to hunt and have use
of the club facilities.
JANUARY 1964
23
-'^^^-^f—--——— -^ .,.,,
Edited by HARRY GILLAM
Obliging Buelt
A buck white+ail boldly ventures forth to accept
a handout from Richard Lewis of Richmond and
his grandmother. The cooperative creature was
discovered last summer on a side trail off the
Skyline Drive. Note the antler development then
in velvet stage. All bucks shed their antlers
during the winter and grow a new set the
following spring and summer. After they reach
full size, they harden and the velvet is rubbed
off leaving the polished tines normally seen by
hunters in the fall.
Olaus J. Murie Passes
Olaus J. Murie, 75, former staff head
and director of The Wilderness Society
and its president from 1950 to 1957,
died following a long illness on October
21 at St. John's Hospital, Jackson, Wy-
oming. At the time of his death Dr.
Murie was chairman of the Society's
Council, its governing body, according
to the Wildlife Management Institute.
A mammalogist of international stat-
ure. Dr. Murie gained broad personal
experience with wilderness country in
the Hudson Bay and Labrador regions,
Alaska, western Canada and in the
United States where he conducted field
investigations for the U. S. Biological
Survey and its successor agency, the
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for
more than 25 years. In 1949 he led the
scientific party of the New Zealand-
American Fiordland Expedition.
Dr. Murie's writings include Alaska-
Yukon Caribou, The Elk of North Ameri-
ca, and A Field Guide to Animal Tracks.
He also wrote and illustrated many pa-
pers for scientific journals and articles
for magazines. A new booklet, Jackson
Hole With a Naturalist was published
just before his death. Murie's contribu-
tions to wilderness preservation and wild-
life ecology were recognized, over the
years, by the conferral of The Wildlife So-
ciety's highly prized Aldo Leopold Me-
morial Medal, the National Audubon
Society's special Audubon Medal Award,
the Honor Roll Award of the Izaak
Walton League of America, and the
John Muir Award of the Sierra Club.
Deadly Duel
An attempt to settle their misunderstanding
turned out to be a deadly draw for these two
Rockingham County bucks. After locking ant-
lers, they fell over a 30 foot cliff onto rocks
below, apparently killing one outright and
breaking the leg of the other, necessitating a
mercy killing by Game Commission employees.
The locking of antlers with both animals facing
the same direction is unusual since it is usually
a head-on lunge which results in a tragic
phenomenon. Holding the heads of the unlucky
combatants are Same Warden Jessie Updike
and Game Manager Gordon Souder. The skulls
will be cleaned and used for display by the
Commission.
Virginia Herpetological
Society Elects
Members of the Virginia Herpeto-
logical Society selected as their 1963-64
president, Roger Henry de Rageot, cur-
ator of natural history at the Norfolk
Museum. Dr. James L. Chamberlain,
biology instructor at Randolph Macon
Women's College, Lynchburg, was chosen
as President-elect for the 1955-56 bien-
nium. Other elected ofl&cers include
Chairman 0. King Goodwin, Newport
News; Co-chairman William L. Witt of
Arlington; Treasurer Mrs. Phoebe N.
Kipling of Arlington; and Secretary
Franklin Tobey, Jr., of Rockville, Mary-
land.
The organization is devoted to the
study of lower vertebrates, a somewhat
neglected group biologically speaking,
and is striving to increase the knowl-
edge of amphibian and reptile distribu-
tion and habits in Virginia.
Membership is open to all who have
"more than a casual interest in the
zoology of reptiles and amphibians in
Virginia and adjacent states." Dues are
one dollar, payable to Mrs. Phoebe N.
Kipling, V. H. S. Treasurer, 2623 Mili-
tary Road, Arlington, Virginia.
Upland Game Management
Summary
Single copies of a new 24 page book-
let Virginia's Upland Game Manage-
ment are available free of charge from
the Game Commission's Richmond offiice.
The booklet covers the history, accom-
plishments, and current status of the
Commission's upland game program.
Dog
Victim
Recovers
Nicely
■
jHHHj^^^l
B
r ^K^
u
1
mKm ^
■K^^*w!5Hi
1
The buck deer, found nearly dead after an
attack by dogs or a bobcat, seems to be on
tiie road to recovery, thanks to the efforts of
his rescuer, Berchie Bragg of Afton, Virginia.
The deer was found skinned up with one antler
missing, a throat badly injured by his attack-
er, and nearly dead from exhaustion. Nelson
County Game Warden W. A. Hill gave Bragg
permission to try and save the animal. A mix-
ture of strained honey and water was used to
heal the injured throat and general first aid
took care of the other little scars. The deer
will be released when it has recovered sufficient-
ly to fend for itself.
24
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
O/V WE W/lWBPM&m
Edited by JIM KERRICK
ARE YOUR BOAT NUMBERS DISPLAYED CORRECTLY?
During the period January 1 to November 1, 1963, 2665 citations were issued
in Virginia for improperly displayed boat registration numbers.
At this time most small boat owners have their boat out of the water and this
is a good time to check and insure that the boat registration number is properly
displayed.
Your boat registration number must be printed on, or attached to, each side
of the bow of the vessel for which it was issued. No other number may be carried
on the bow of the vessel.
The numbers shall be placed on each side of the forward half of the vessel in
such position as to provide clear legibility for identification. The number shall not
be placed on the underside of a flared bow where it cannot be easily seen from
another vessel or ashore. The numbers shall read from left to right.
RIGHT WRONG
They shall be in block characters not less than three inches in height. The
numerals and letters shall be vertical (not slanted).
RIGHT
WRONG
V
A
'
V
A
/
2
a
There must be a hyphen or equivalent space between the three parts of the
number.
RIGHT
VA 1234 Z
WRONG
VA1234Z
The numbers shall be of a color which will contrast with the color of the back-
ground and so maintained as to be clearly visible and legible; that is, dark numbers
on a light background, or white numbers on a black blackground. Black on red or
red on black, or other combinations that tend to blend, may not be used.
R/GHT WRONG
5 V Q
The border, trim, outlining or shading on numerals and letters does not
constitute a part of a character itself, and if used shall be disregarded in determin-
ing whether a numeral or letter meets the established style and 3-inch height re-
quirements.
Remember that your Certificate of Number (registration card) MUST be
carried on board the vessel for which issued whenever such vessel is in use.
Be Alert For Obstacles When
Boating In Shallow Water
When boating in unfamiliar or shal-
low water, keep both eyes on the water
and one hand on the throttle. Watch for
submerged logs, stumps, pilings and
rocks. Steer clear of suspicious looking
areas.
If you are going to run into some-
thing, cut back on your throttle until
you have passed over the obstruction.
Even if your motor is equipped with
a slip clutch, damage to the propeller or
even the motor itself can result if the
boat strikes a solid underwater object.
Did You Know:
that according to the U. S. Coast
Guard the number of boating accidents
reported last year is down 3 per cent,
the number of fatalities down 8.5 per
cent and at the same time the number of
registered pleasure craft is up almost
14 per cent?
that the ratio of the number of boats
involved in reported accidents (3,897)
against the estimated number of recre-
ational boats on the water (71/^ million)
is one in 2,000; the ratio of fatalities
to boats is one in 9,000?
that these figures compare with auto-
mobile accident ratios of one accident
for every seven cars on the road during
1962, and one fatality for every 1,920
cars?
that an honest appraisal can lead only
to the conclusion that boating not only
is getting safer, but also that the boater's
family is less likely to be involved in an
accident on the water than on the high-
way?
Uncooperative
Two cub scouts, whose younger broth-
er had fallen into the lake, rushed home
to mother with tears in their eyes.
"We're trying to give him artificial
respiration," one of them sobbed, "but
he keeps getting up and walking away!"
— Pete Czura, "Woods and Water"
Lions, Lions Internat'l
JANUARY 1964
25
(Continued from page 3)
Does Not Like Bow Hunting
THE old saying that something good comes
out of anything still holds true. We have had
the worst drought in history here in Rocking-
ham County and the only good thing about it
was the closing of the woods to early bow
and arrow hunting.
I've always wondered why the Game Com-
mission would favor a minority group of
sportsmen. Stop that month-long bow and
arrow hunting season from now on! If the
minority want to hunt with bow and arrow,
let them do it during the regular hunting
season.
I can prove that two deer were shot through
with an arrow last Friday (October 18, 1963).
The arrows were fotmd, but not the deer.
There's a good chance that had this been
during the regular season, these deer would
have been killed off by a real hunter with a
rifle.
Let the Commission be fair with, the ma-
jority, not the minority. Take a ballot next
year, then abide by the votes.
D. C. Murvdy
Harrisonburg
Oddity
TODAY (September 5) several fishermen
brought in the young (recently hatched) two-
headed snake which they captured while sein-
ing for minnows in a creek near Blacksburg.
This is the northern water snake, Natrix s.
sipedon.
Henry S. Mosby
Department of Forestry and Wildlife
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Disagrees
HAVING read with much interest the article
by Harry Rieseberg in the October issue of
Virginia Wildlife I feel obligated to com-
ment on several, in fact, . . . the majority of
Mr. Rieseberg 's statements.
While I am certainly no expert I do have
a knowledge of the routes of the Spanish gal-
leons, naos, pataches and shipwrecks in Ches-
apeake Bay waters, as well as off the coast of
Virginia. The possibility of a Spanish galleon
wandering off course, finding its way through
the Chesapeake Bay entrance and, still not
knowing its position, navigating through the
shoals of the Bay as far as Fleeton, Virginia,
is quite unlikely.
Of particular concern to me is Rieseberg's
statement that, "most qualified SCUBA divers
can seek treasure in such wrecks with rea-
sonable safety if they remain above the 200
foot mark." A diver can remain in 200 feet
of water for only about six minutes without
having to worry about the bends. Any addi-
tional bottom time would require decompres-
sion based on the additional time down, which
would necessitate more air than the supply
which the sport diver is likely to have avail-
able. One hundred feet is the recommended
depth limit for sport diving with SCUBA
equipment. This limit is supported by all pro-
fessional diving instructors. With this in mind
it seems to me that Rieseberg's statement is
not only unsafe, but foolish.
Incidentally, the crown jewels of Maxi-
milian are not aboard the Merida which was
sunk 55 miles off Cape Charles, as Lt. Riese-
berg mentioned. They can be found in the
National Museum of Mexico, where they have
always been. As far as the $5,000,000 in
treasure is concerned . . . insurance com-
panies paid $400,000 in claims on the Merida's
general cargo which consisted primarily of
bananas, hides, and other merchandise. Far
more money has been spent on salvage at-
tempts for her "reported" treasure than ever
has been aboard her.
L. David Horner, HI
President, Maritime Explorations, Ltd.
Virginia Beach
The value of the Merida was $1,000,000.
Aboard at the time of sinking were the House
of Hapsburg jewels and other royal wealth
personally given to Maximilian by Emperor
Franz Josef when the former was placed upon
the Mexican throne by Napoleon III, which
treasure amounted to some $5,500,000 in gold,
silver, and jewels including the fabulous his-
toric pearl and ruby necklace of Charlotte,
Maximilian's empress, as well as various pieces
of the crown jewels other than those which
are displayed in the National Museum of
Mexico!
(Mr. Horner) is correct ... (in that) . . .
there have been many unsuccessful salvage
searches for the resting place of the Merida.
/ happen to be the only man ever actually to
have seen the remains of the steamer, and
have photographs to substantiate it. Why
didn't I salvage its remains? Frankly, I didn't
have the funds. It would be a costly job. . . .
(As for early Spanish galleon-frigates en-
tering Chesapeake Bay) I have a list of near-
ly twenty such craft that lost their course,
foundered and went down in the bay, and
these come from the Spanish State Archives
in Madrid.
As to the issue on SCUBA diving, I have
explored to depths of 220 feet in such gear,
though usually have used mechanical diving
robots and the "hard hat" dress. . . .
— Harry E. Rieseberg
According to U. S. NAVY DIVING MANUAL
dated July 1953: "Considerations of nitrogen
narcosis, air supply duration, and decompres-
sion make 200 feet the maximum satisfactory
depth for self contained diving on air. How-
ever, the practical limit for self contained
diving on air in most instances is 130 feet.
Relatively few dives are made deeper than
this, and nitrogen narcosis may not often be
encountered. Nevertheless, at depths beyond
100 feet nitrogen narcosis may develop in
air scuba." Skin Diving and Exploring
Underwater, a book for beginners by John
Sweeney, says dives to a depth of 130 feet
can be made safely in sport-diving gear, if
proper precautions are taken. — Ed.
Effective Display
ENCLOSED you will find a snapshot that may
be of interest to our fellow readers. This sign
was made to be erected a short distance in-
side the main entrance to Post Headquarters
at Camp A. P. Hill, and visible from U. S.
Route 301. At this location everyone entering
the post can see "Smoky" and read his mes-
sage every day.
One of the most interesting features of this
display is "Smoky's" right arm, or rather
right front leg. This part of his body is
fastened at the shoulder with a bolt and
wing-nut. This allows the arm to move in
such a manner that the pointer held in his
paw can be made to point to the fire condi-
tion expected for the day. The Government
forester, Mr. Wayne Ackerman, or our fire
chief, Mr. Al Clow, has kept the board up to
date by moving the arm to the proper posi-
tion each day.
There is little need for me to tell you about
how dry our summer and autumn have been.
Fields and woodlands are parched. Our fire
chief and I were discussing the hazardous
condition we have passed through, and he
feels that this particular display has done
much to keep our fire losses to a minimum.
We have had far less forest fires since
"Smoky" went on the job than we have had
in many other, and far less dangerous, years.
C. D. Pierro
Fredericksburg
What Is It?
ATTACHED below is a photo of something I
picked up in the Chickahominy. It appears to
be eggs of some sort. The substance is very
hard and rubbery. It is also translucent. Per-
haps a biologist can identify it and you can
use the photo in Virginia Wildlife. Let me
know what it is please.
Major John P. Randolph
Fort Lee
You picked up a colony of a type of Bryozoa,
a very primitive form of animal life. Most
members of this group are to be found in a
marine environment, but there are some fresh
water representatives. — Ed.
26
VIRGINIA WILDLIFE
Russ Kinne photo from National Audubon Society
FOR BIOLOGICAL, aesthetic and practical reasons, the
Ganne Commission began experimenting 3 years ago with
a spring season on wild turkey gobblers. Biologists have
found that springtime hunting has had little effect on the
turkey population, and hunters have learned that it re-
quires the utmost in skill, patience and knowledge of their
quarry.
In contrast to fall hunting, when most
birds are killed by chance, the spring
hunter locates the gobbler, usually by
hearing him call from his roost at
dawn, then works exclusively on that
one bird until he outwits him, or
"spooks" him.
jvr
Gobblers may be readily identi-
fied by their beards, and by their
strutting and gobbling. Only beard-
ed birds may be legally taken in
the spring.
Nesting success has been as good
where spring gobbler hunting has
been tried as in adjoining areas
where it has been prohibited. Hens
are not disturbed by huntinr activi-
ty, since driving and the use of dogs
Is prohibited.
^
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